Pocket P.C. – Ships first dev units | Hacker News Reader

Pocket P.C. – Ships first dev units

cnx-software.com

54 pointsnullagent41 comments

For a second there, the title threw me off a bit and I thought MS was bringing back the PocketPC.

I thought it would be a newer x86-based one too.

What is the use case for this thing? It costs $299: https://shop.popcorncomputer.com/products/pocketpc

To look cool carrying around a device that has the dimensions of a normal tablet but the processing power of a wish.com tablet. I'd much rather just carry a phone and a ultra portable laptop around than this stupid thing. Many companies tried to sell these kinds of devices back in the early 2000s but they never sold well because they sucked. They didn't have the power of a normal laptop and we're only marginally better than the smartphones of the time. What is this supposed to replace? It's not going to replace a modern smartphone and certainly doesn't have enough power to replace a laptop or even a flagship tablet. These are neat toys but that's really all they are.

Especially considering you could get a pinephone + qwerty keyboard back cover at a very similar price point.

This device was announced a lot before the PinePhone; too bad it took ages before they could show anything but renders on their site, and I guess the pandemic also didn't help. I hope they lower the price; a portable PC which also can work as LoRa terminal can be a serious tool, but definitely not at that price.

One thing I will say about this, is don't expect tonnes of computation power. The Allwinner A64 is the same processor as in the PineBook (OG), PinePhone and PineTab - all of which are desperately begging for more processing power.

That said, it will play back H264 videos just fine, you will be able to browse a limited number of tabs, listen to music, etc, etc. Just don't expect to replace your current desktop - it's very likely far less capable than the smartphone in your pocket.

I think the killer feature for these devices are yet to arrive. I want to see a small decentralized (+) eco-system where you essentially get some light and synchronized version of your Linux desktop. For example, I want to be able to check my RSS feeds whilst on the move and have the 'read' items synced across devices. Or begin listening to a podcast on one device and then resume it on my desktop when I get home.

What we'll likely get though is a mini-Linux desktop that barely runs anything, gets some very focussed device-specific apps and they won't play nicely with anything at all.

(+) Read: Doesn't require some cloud server, simply that the devices are on the same network.

So, a hobbyist device basically.

I feel like these low spec ARM CPUs are basically the 6502 and z80 of the late 80s of our day. Still technically usable, but far outclassed by contemporary hardware, yet finding their way into the hands of hobbyists.

> I feel like these low spec ARM CPUs are basically the 6502 and z80 of the late 80s of our day.

For sure and don't get me wrong, somebody motivated to do so could get a lot out of it still. I'm still impressed on a (mostly) weekly basis by the progress being made for Linux on mobiles: https://linmob.net/

> Still technically usable, but far outclassed by contemporary hardware, yet finding their way into the hands of hobbyists.

Kind of reminds me of the early Raspberry Pi devices that were 'technically' able to replace a desktop - but would you? Probably not.

For $300-$400 it's probably a little on the high-end for a hobbyist device too. Bare in mind the early PineBook, PinePhone and PineTab were each $100 or so with similar specs.

The form factor I'd like to see come back is something like the oqo, but of course with modern hardware

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OQO

It's not exactly the same form factor, but the Fxtec Pro 1 [0] is similar in that it's a landscape slider. Company unfortunately doesn't have a good track record of shipping devices on-time, though COVID is at least partly to blame there.

[0] https://www.fxtec.com/pro1x

A small company called GPD has been working on something very much like the OQO or the Vaio UX called the ‘Win 3’ which I rather like the look of - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-win3-the-world-s-1st-...

What’s the battery life on this thing? Any info on how the Steam Deck stacks up against it (obviously drifting from the keyboard convo here)?

I still can’t get over the fact that it’s been a decade since F-07C was released

Same as the Nokia N900. A querty on a slide under a screen exchanges a little thickness for smallness (you can make a screen smaller if the keyboard isn't always taking up half of it.) As a bonue, you get a trustworthy, fast input device.

The Nokia N900 is simultaneously I really wish I had gotten my hands on when it was new and also a device I'm glad I ultimately didn't wast my money on. The landscape slider is still a form factor I miss though. Sure I've mostly adapted to onscreen keyboards, but I occasionally still yearn for something physical.

The A64 SoC is almost entirily supported by mainline linux: https://linux-sunxi.org/Linux_mainlining_effort

Not related to the Windows Pocket PC stuff. I thought for a second it might be making a comeback.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_PC

this thing was awesome in the pre smartphone days. i remember feeling pretty cool playing NES roms and browsing wikipedia during giant college lectures

I knew a guy that had one of these back then with Linux on it. In that moment I felt like I had seen it all, that was it for me.

Ohh, Familiar Linux maybe/probably? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar_Linux

I admit I originally thought this post has omitted the (year) tag and was about the initial batch of Pocket PC dev devices in the 90s before I read the article.

Reminds me of the ClockworkPi[0]. Is there a name for this form factor?

[0]: https://www.clockworkpi.com/

Does it actually fit in a pocket? Looks a bit big for that.

i like the look of it, would be great for quick sysadmin things without having to carry around a full desktop, but also more convenient than a phone.

however... a *nix computer without a forward slash character on the keyboard?

I see a forward slash key in the product photos [0].

[0] https://shop.popcorncomputer.com/products/pocketpc

The slash is there, up and in one from the lower right corner on the question mark key. Seems sort of sensible to put the backslash key next to it too. It's symmetrical and not far from where one would expect it. I don't know what the key to the left of Alt is though.

edit: oh, it's their logo, maybe their version of the Windows key.

How about the GPD MicroPC? It’s pretty tempting to me for on-the-go sysadmining.

Get one. I did. It's seriously awesome.

Now if they'd only put 4g in it...

You find yourself getting enough use out of it? I'm concerned I'd buy it and it would be fun for a bit and then sit collecting dust.

YMMV, but I take it with me when I go out, like a phone. I'm the kind of person to slip my laptop into my bag when I go out, in case I want to relax at a coffee shop for a bit - the Micro PC renders that unnecessary. It's far more ergonomic for chatting and web browsing than a smartphone, and it's capable of doing more or less any desktop task. You could comfortably use org-mode on the go for example, if that's your bag.

It's also handy for miscellaneous tasks where being small or durable is an advantage - I plug it into my surround sound to play tunes (USB, but it has a headphone jack too), and it's really useful on a crowded workbench for displaying schematics or documentation. I would never let my main laptop anywhere near a solder station, but this tough little guy can nestle in there no problem. Good kitchen computer too, for the same reason.

Finally, I find being able to pace around while typing to be a game changer. I can go for a walk and jot down any thoughts I have in seconds. It also enables a kind of deskless work style, where you can comfortably do virtually any task in odd and shifting positions, which I find ergonomically useful from time to time.

(this reply written on the Micro PC)

This is a very interesting looking device, but the form factor seems completely impractical. It's kind of sad for the linux ecosystem to see people wasting their resources on such silly form factors instead of better touchscreen support and onscreen keyboards for linux.

It has a touchscreen, this update was about getting the display on it working properly.

Touch keyboards are only really usable on tablets and phone type devices, which this device is not trying to be. If you want a Linux phone check out Android devices or customs like PinePhone.

This has the same A64 AoC as the pinephone too.

It's not as if the author of this project would have worked on touchscreen support for mainstream desktop Linux had they not started this. For many (most?), Linux is a platform to use and build upon, not something they want to contribute to just for the sake of it, and that's fine.

Right - all these people using a free and libre OS for whatever they want to do rather than what you think would be best... so sad. Like you, I will never understand why anyone would choose to exercise their free will and do things that aren't pure submission to random "internet experts". (/s)

If you actually want better support for touchscreens and onscreen keyboards, put effort or money of your own into it, and let others do what they want.

I do put money and effort into Linux development, which is why I find it frustrating that so many people working on libre software / hardware don't have usability in mind, but only some ego-driven idea of how they think it should be. Freedom for the sake of "having things my way" is childish and annoying. Freedom that is used to improve the ecosystem for the entire community is what is valuable about libre software.

> better touchscreen support and onscreen keyboards for linux.

We have those and they seem perfectly good to me other than lacking predictive text. What do you want that svkbd and your pick of https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Category:Interface don't cover?

> they seem perfectly good to me

> What do you want

Usability that compares to even the most basic Android or iPhone onscreen keyboards would be nice. A keyboard is far more than an array of key buttons. Swipe to type, predictive text, autocorrection, responsiveness are the basic features, and linux keyboards don't even have that.

Main thing I'm not digging is that keyboard... can you actually use that to do anything meaningful? Maybe if most things are voice controlled or something/copilot. I'm so used to my 1 ft wide mech keyboard.

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